Civil Engineer |Project Management Professional (PMP)| Social Entrepreneur| Philanthropist, Founder of Engineers4Humanity|501 (c)(3)|Author, Breaking Boundaries
Canada welcomed me and my family & gave us the opportunity for a better life. it enabled me to live my dreams. It’s a great honour to play for Canada and I want to give back, so I’ve decided that I will donate this years World Cup earnings to charity.
Good job, @AlphonsoDavies; keep shining. You are an inspiration to many young refugees who are still in the same condition—living in a 10’ by 12’ plastic sheeting shelter. They need support. Thanks for your support. I remember it since I lived in the same condition for decades that reason why I have established the organization: https://t.co/NUfqzSs3pd; advocating and supporting refugees.
From a refugee camp in Ghana to the World Cup stage, Alphonso Davies' story is a powerful reminder of what's possible when displaced families are given the chance to rebuild.
🔗 Donate: https://t.co/MrgWElsuFk
💔😭#CongoleseTutsi: #Twibuke#Remember#Tukumbuke#RappelonsNous: Dec 10th, 1997- Dec 10th 2025: Massacres of Congolese Tutsi in Mudende Refugee Camps in Rwanda.
Press Release of December 10th, 2025
In Memory of the Victims of Congolese Tutsi massacred on Dec. 10th-11th, 1997, in Mudende Refugee Camp in Rwanda.
Today, 28 years ago, more than 200 Congolese were massacred by Rwandan extremist so-called “Interahamwe” in Mudende Refugee camp in Western Province of Rwanda.
After fleeing the killings in Masisi, Kalehe, Lubero, Nyiragongo and Rutshuru territories in North Kivu Provinces in D.R.Congo from the same miltia who perpertrated the genocide agaisnt Tutsi in Rwanda, the Tutsi from Congo were housed by UNCHR starting April 1996 in Mudende and Nkamira refugees until until December 10, 1997.
On December 13-14th, 2025, CTSV_IHUMIRE (Congolese Tutsi Survivor’s Voice) in colloboration with ISÔKO will commemorate these acts of genocide to be held on Dec. 13-14th, 2025 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Please join the survivors and the community to remember these victims.
According to local officials cited by Associated Press, “the attack on the Mudende refugee camp in northwest Rwanda on Thursday (11/12) left at least 271 dead among Tutsi refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)”.
As today, we believe these numbers are underestimated based on the large numbers of unaccounting victims from many of our families. See below the exerpt from then, US Secretary of State Late Madeleine Albright and the late UN Secretary general Koffi Annan.
For memory, before the massacres of Mudende on December 10, 1997, there were several massacres of congolese Tutsi in Nkamira and in the surrounding area in June and August 1997, but unfortunately there are no records of these massacres.
In December 1997, a new refugee camp of Gihembe, in Northeast of Rwanda was established by UNCHR to host survivors of the Mudende Massacre among them 99% are Mudende massacre survivors.
On this day of remembrance of our parents, grand parents, aunts, brothers and sisters, and all the victims of this barbaric acts, the Tutsi Congolese wants to remind our government from D.R.Congo and the AFC-M23 to address the roots causes of these massacres that are still going on in 2025.
The same ideology of then, Interahamwe militia, currently re-named “FDLR” has been exported and implemented in many congolese, enabled and disseminated among all armed groups once called “Nyatura”, Mai-Mai then re-named “Wazalendo” led by some official in Kinshasa and the Eastern regions of D.R.Congo.
We call for the condemnation of hate speech against Tutsi in D.R.Congo, and request the prosecution of the authors of Mudende massacres by the government of Rwanda.
In addition, on behalf of survivors, in memory of these vicitims, we humbly request :
- To the Rwandan Government to grant to the survivors to build a Memorial place in Mudende where survivors and generation to come should remember this horrific events.
- To our government of D.R.Congo to ban and prosecute all authors of hate speech and cleansing of congolese Tutsi and pursuit the dialogue with the UNHCR and the government of Rwanda for the repatriation of more than 70,000 refugees currently hosted in 5 refugee camps in Rwanda and in Uganda.
We hope that in the year of 2026, all these refugees will be repatriated to their ancestral lands in North Kivu and South Kivu.
- To the International Community especially the United State of America to condemn and prosecute the authors of cleansing of genocide of Congolese Tutsi in D.R.Congo.
Finally, we offer our unconditional support to the victims of these barbarian acts as well as to their families who continue to suffer the horrors of the armed groups scattered in eastern provinces of North Kivu&South Kivu with the only motive of ethnic cleansing of the Tutsi community in the DRC.
We reiterate our commitment to use the legal and diplomatic tools at our disposal to fight against the ongoing genocide ideology of Tutsi in D.R.Congo characterized by hate speech, discrimination, cannibalism, destruction of their livelihood and their submission of their apatridie.
@IsokoCanada@EuropeIsoko@CongoleseTSV
New York City, September 22, 2025
Subject: Alert on ongoing Genocide Against Congolese Tutsi/Banyamulenge in Eastern DRC
To: Honorable Antonio Guterrez, Secretary General of the United Nations, in New York City, USA
CC:- D.R.C Missions in United Nations in New York City, USA - UN Security Council Permanent Members in New York City, USA - All UN Missions Representatives in New York City, USA
We, the survivors and victims of massacres in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), are urgently sounding the alarm about the ongoing genocide targeting the Tutsi and Banyamulenge communities. Despite ongoing negotiations involving AFC/M23 with the current government with the mediation of the Qatari government, and the U.S. government delegation, the violence continues unabated.
The Tutsi and Banyamulenge population in Kivu and the Hema people in Ituri Province, are being selectively targeted killed, displaced, and having their homes, property, and livelihoods looted and destroyed solely because of their ethnicity. We are raising big concerns of Banyamulenge villages of Minembwe and surrounding areas that have been put under siege with no access to any essential humanitarian assistance since 2017.
These atrocities are being perpetrated by extremist militia groups, known as “Wazalendo,” which are armed, financed, and coordinated by the government of President Félix Tshisekedi.
We are particularly concerned about the participation of officials, public figures, human rights activists and media at the event titled “Thirty Years of Armed Conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Call for the Recognition of Forgotten or Ignored Genocides, for Truth and Justice,” scheduled for September 22, 2025, in New York City. This event is organized by the DRC government, which bears full responsibility for the crimes committed against the 1 Congolese Tutsi/Banyamulenge for since the 1990’s as described in many reports such as the recent Human Right Watch report of September 15, 2025.
On September 19th, 2025, we urged the New York City Mayor Eric Adams to reconsider his participation in this event, as such involvement could be interpreted as endorsing the DRC government’s inflammatory rhetoric, hate speech, and campaigns of targeting against the Congolese Tutsi. His Participation risks exacerbating the ongoing dangers faced by our community in Eastern DRC such the endangered Tutsi/Banyamulenge population in South Kivu Province especially in the City of Uvira that are besieged by militia “Wazalendo” armed and financed by the government in Kinshasa.
We are alerting the U.S. administration, the Qatar government, the UN Security council members and international partners to press the government of Kinshasa to stop arming, financing extremist militia against its own citizens and seek for a lasting resolution to the conflict through dialogue.
As survivors of atrocities committed against us because of our ethnic identity, we have fled systemic persecution and killings without protection from the DRC government.
We call upon the international community to take immediate action to protect our community and hold the DRC government accountable for these crimes.
Sincerely,
On Behalf of the Congolese Tutsi/Banyamulenge diaspora in the USA
Safari Munyarugendo, President ISÔKO_USA Douglas Gasore Kabunda, President Mahoro Peace Association @MahoroMpa@hrw@UNHumanRights@antonioguterres@UsambUN@US_SrAdvisorAF@SecRubio@AsstSecStateAF@UnderSecPD@UnderSecStateP@USEmbKinshasa@USAmbUN@MofaQatar_FR@realDonaldTrump@KagutaMuseveni@PaulKagame@WilliamsMkenya@Fatshi13_pro5@RDCongoMAE@onduhungirehe
@Oolusegun_obj
@AlgeriaUN@PMUN_Guy@USEmbassyFrance@EcuadorONU@JapanMissionUN@ROK_Mission@SierraLeoneUN@MaltaUNMission@ONUMocambique@SLOtoUN@swiss_un@un_council@Denmark_UN@UKUN_NewYork@CanadaUN@JBorgstam@FranceONU@eucopresident@Denmark_UN
@US_SrAdvisorAF we applaud for the release of all these prisoners most of them are prisoners of facies.
For the last 3 years, being or looking as #Tutsi or having a so-called #Rwandan#looking has been labeled as #foreigners#invaders#infiltrators#spy or #spy in your home country.
Since 1960's the local and national leaders in D.R.Congo has ignited hate speech using the militia, today, #Wazalendo to expel, kill all those so called #Invaders #foreigners #Rwandans because of their cultural and linguistic origin in Rwanda.
Since 2022, our organization has several times petitioned in our correspondence sent the Congolese government and all human rights organizations for fair trial and release of the innocent prisoners.
See attached some of the list of these prisoners as compiled on August 20th, 2023, by our sister organization in Goma.
Two years after, this list of 183 prisoners have increased tremendously, and we applaud the coming signing agreement to release them by the government of Kinshasa. Also, we call for the rule of law in our country where each individual should be facing fair trial for crimes committed not based on facial and ethnical identity.
Special thanks to @US_SrAdvisorAF for your dedication to help our country to retrieve a long-lasting peace after more than 35 years of ethnical driven violence.
Unfortunately, as we can see this week in #Uvira, the government is backing the extremist militia #Wazalendo to refuse a government appointee.
#Stophatespeech #StopTutsiphobia #Peace #DRCONGO
Commemoration is a collective responsibility; as survivors, we hold the duty to remember and honor the lives of our beloved ones lost because they were Tutsi.
We are tasked with writing and sharing the stories of our family members.
My journey as a refugee reflects our struggles with insecurity, discrimination, and the genocide against Congolese Tutsi since 19960 to today.
https://t.co/UMq1XHuQRc
This book captures the resilience and strength of life in a refugee camp, where I have spent over two decades, and it serves as a testament to the enduring hope of family members still striving to overcome the challenges of our circumstances in East Africa.
Calling for support of repatriation process and rebuilding our country and Kivu we want.
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to everyone who contributes to organized gatherings on X-space to honor and remember our beloved one (Congolese Tutsi) killed in Rwanda Mudende Refugee camp in August 1997
Your commitment to preserving their memory and striving for justice is truly invaluable.
Let's meet face to face in weekend of December 12-14 2025 in Arizona.
"Twibuke twiyubaka Kandi Twirwanaho nibwo tuzabona ubutabera bukwive no gucyura Impunzi ziheze munkambi twubaka
Kivu Twifuza".
Ntituzabibagirwa!
Eric K Recky -CTSV-Diaspora Coordinator.
Seattle, WA, August 15th, 2025
Honorable Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio
CC: Mr. James E. Risch, U.S. Senator (ID), Chairman, U.S. Foreign Relations Committee @SenatorRisch
Mr. Brian Mast, Chairman of House Committee on Foreign Affairs @RepBrianMast
Subject: Call for Action to Protect the Tutsi/Banyamulenge Ethnic Group in Eastern D.R. Congo
Dear Honorable Secretary Rubio,
We, the members of ISÔKO_USA and Mahoro Peace Association—U.S.-based nonprofit organizations representing American citizens of Banyamulenge and Tutsi heritage—write to urgently draw your attention to the escalating crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which endangers all populations in the region and threatens the stability of the African Great Lakes.
This month marks the 21st commemoration of the Gatumba Genocide of Banyamulenge on August 13th, 2004, when Rwandan militias—linked to both Congolese and Burundian armed groups—attacked UN refugee camps in Burundi, selectively killing Tutsi/Banyamulenge men, women, and children solely because of their ethnic identity, in atrocities tragically reminiscent of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The Gatumba genocide is not an isolated incident, but part of a decades-long campaign of persecution against Tutsi-Banyamulenge dating back to 1996.
In December 1997, massacres such as those at Mudende refugee camp in Western Rwanda was perpetrated by FDLR(then Interahamwe Rwandan militia forces) in collaboration with elements of the Mobutu regime—which claimed more than 300 innocent lives.
Many survivors of these atrocities were rescued by the United States. Beginning in February 2000, under the leadership of then–Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, approximately 2,500 Congolese Tutsi were resettled across the U.S., where they are now proud citizens. We now call for that same moral leadership to help rescue today’s victims of ethnic violence in our homeland.
Despite the July 19th, 2025, Doha Declaration of Principles between M23/AFC and the Congolese government, war persists, especially in South Kivu. Individuals of Tutsi appearance are being stoned, lynched, and, in some cases, cannibalized by mobs incited by hate speech from Congolese officials and state-aligned media. Villages have been burned, hundreds of thousands of cattle—our community’s economic lifeline—have been looted, and thousands have fled to Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, and beyond.
The situation is most dire in Minembwe, South Kivu, where the Tutsi-Banyamulenge population has been placed under a deliberate, government-imposed embargo. For over four months, no food, medicine, or humanitarian aid has been allowed in. Instead, the area is bombarded, with the clear intent that those not killed by bullets or machetes will starve to death. This is a slow-motion atrocity unfolding before the world’s eyes.
For decades—especially since 2017—the Banyamulenge have suffered systematic discrimination and ethnic cleansing at the hands of militias from neighboring ethnic groups (Babembe, Bafuliru, Banyindu) operating in coordination with Burundian armed groups such as Red-Tabara and FNL. Senior officers of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) have provided moral, logistical, and operational support to these militias, with documented complicity at all levels of government.
In the Banyamulenge highlands, over 450 villages have been destroyed, more than 500,000 cattle stolen, and over 80% of our population forced into exile. Those who remain face harassment, arbitrary arrests, and confinement to ghettos—barred from markets, farmland, and contact with other communities. Over 700 Tutsis are currently detained without trial in Kinshasa and provincial facilities, in direct violation of Congolese and international law.
Even Tutsi and Banyamulenge soldiers have been targeted. On December 9, 2021, Major Joseph Kaminzobe was lynched, burned alive, and cannibalized in public while fellow soldiers looked on.
On December 20th, 2021, Lt. Gapasi Munyemanzi was lynched and stoned to death at his office in the suburb of Goma. On November 9, 2023, Lt. Gisore Kabongo Patrick suffered the same fate in Goma just to name the few. Human Rights Watch described these as “blatant acts of hate-motivated violence.” Yet the perpetrators remain free and still spread out the hate speech.
The same patterns of violence have struck Tutsi communities in North Kivu and the Hema people in Ituri, regularly massacred by CODECO militias operating with state complicity.
UN genocide prevention experts, including Alice Nderitu, have warned that conditions in the DRC mirror those that have historically led to genocide. Former UN human rights chief Abdoul Aziz Thioye has documented a surge in anti-Tutsi hate speech since mid-2021. Despite repeated alerts, neither the Congolese government nor the international community has acted effectively to protect victims or prosecute offenders.
The European Union has sanctioned individuals such as former minister Justin Bitakwira for inciting violence against Banyamulenge. The UN, U.S., EU, France, Belgium, Germany, the UK, and Rwanda have all condemned this hate speech. Former South African president Thabo Mbeki has emphasized that resolving the discrimination and exclusion of Banyamulenge and Tutsi is central to achieving lasting peace in the DRC.
We urge the U.S. government, in collaboration with the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committees, to ensure that the DRC government and its armed opponents commit to:
1. Immediate cessation of hostilities – End all fighting and bombing, with enforcement by independent monitors.
2. Inclusive dialogue – Address the root causes of more than 30 years of conflict through genuine talks between the government and AFC/M23.
3. Respect for human rights – Guarantee security, mobility, access to public services, justice, and education for all citizens without discrimination.
4. Safe return and protection of refugees and displaced persons – Ensure secured voluntary return of all refugees and displaced in all affected areas in North and South Kivu Provinces and in Ituri Province
5. To open a humanitarian corridor to Minembwe area for the supplier of Food, Medication and other basic needs to the endangered population ending all embargoes and blockades.
The United States has historically played a decisive role in preventing mass atrocities. We believe that your leadership can help avert another genocide in the Great Lakes region. Addressing the root causes of this crisis is essential for lasting peace in the DRC and stability across the region.
The Banyamulenge, Tutsi of the DRC, and Hema people seek no special privileges—only the right to live, to be recognized as full citizens, and to exist free from persecution. We respectfully call on you to ensure that U.S. policy prioritizes protection for at-risk communities, holds perpetrators accountable, and pressures the DRC government to end its complicity with extremist militias.
As US-Citizens, the members of our organizations are grateful for granting them an opportunity to have a second chance after being denied their rights for life.
We are all committed to supporting all efforts initiated by the US-administration to establish a long-standing peace, security, and economic stability that will prevent future conflicts with consequences of more refugees seeking to come to the US.
Thank you for your time, and request a meeting to discuss this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
Signed by Safari Munyarugendo,
President ISÔKO_USA
Signed by Douglas Gasore Kabunda,
President Mahoro Peace Association
💔🇨🇩 cette Commemoration des massacres de Gatumba à Kinshasa est faite pour jeter la poudre aux yeux au monde entier. Où sont les extrémistes comme @JustinBitakwira@MuhindoNzangi, jules Mulumba et tous les auteurs des discours de haine contre #Tutsi et appuyés par le pouvoir?😭
💔😭🇨🇩We remember and pay tribute to the victims Banyamulenge killed because being #Tutsi on August 13th, 2004 in Gatumba ( Burundi) while under protection of United Nations. 21 years after, there are unaccounted numbers of #Tutsi still being killed everywhere in the whole country 🇨🇩 based on their identity and facies. This is an ongoing genocide against #Tutsi in our home country 🇨🇩 enabled by local and national leaders using slurs such as #Tutsi are creature of Satan", foreigners, invaders.
As we pay tribute to the victims of the Gatumba massacres in 2004 together with other victims based on the genocidal ideology, let us all commit to fight all ideologies that promote #hatespeech, #Xenophobia #tribalism against any tribe, race, and ethnic identity in our home country 🇨🇩.
#Remember #stophatespeech #combat #denial #genocide #againstTutsi 🇨🇩
Remember, Twibuke abacu: Today August 8, 2025 in Mahama, Refugee Camp of Congolese in Rwanda, there are remembering all the Congolese Tutsi killed in D.R.Congo from 1990 to 2025, in Nkamira and Mudende in 1997 in Rwanda and in Gatumba in 2004 (Burundi) for the sole crime of being #Tutsi.
After 30 years living in Refugees camps in neighboring countries ( Rwanda, Burundi, Ouganda and Kenya) and in diaspora, we are still remember all these victims, striving for justice et return to their home country D.R.Congo. #Remember #Twibuke
#Return #Congo
https://t.co/a92vJVwCaa